Happy to help bring to light the national security threat posed by platforms beholden to the CCP (or any authoritarian govt). Thank you, #60Minutes.

For a deeper dive on the “systemic risk” presented by apps like TikTok, I’ve got a THREAD for you! 1/7 https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tiktok-cybersecurity-china-60-minutes-2020-11-15/

Systemic risk consists of the threats that are intrinsic to systems of governance distinct from—or opposed to—free and open societies. 2/7

Even if a company is not (at present) explicitly engaged in abusive practices, operating within a nation subject to this form of governance is at risk of that government’s coercive power (e.g. ByteDance and its relationship to the CCP). 3/7

Characteristics relevant to the digital environment that distinguish authoritarian regimes from open societies include, but are not limited to: 4/7

More intrusive data practices not subject to legal recourse; an illiberal legal and governance atmosphere (e.g. China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law and Hong Kong’s 2020 National Security Law)… 5/7

…a state-led economic system; a lack of an independent judicial system; lack of the rule of law; the absence of representative, democratic governance; and lack of free, independent media institutions. 6/7

Solutions require identifying and mitigating the systemic risk that arises from dealing with authoritarian governments. Last night was a good start. The American people deserve to know what’s going on behind the scenes of our seemingly benign #TikTok addiction. 7/7